Name a Star in the Aquila Constellation

Aquila, the Eagle, is an equatorial constellation which can be viewed from almost anywhere in the world. The brightest star in the constellation, Altair, has been known as the “Eagle” star for centuries, first by the Babylonians and Sumerians and then later Ptolemy called the star Aetus, which is Latin for “eagle.” In Chinese mythology Altair is identified with the Princess Zhi Nu The Eagle Constellation is bordered by these constellations: Scutum, Serpens Cauda, Aquarius, Capricornus, Delphinus, Hercules, Sagitta, Sagittarius, and Ophiuchus. 

Here are some famous people with stars named after them in the Aquarius constellation: Trace Adkins, Ricky Martin, and Cory Monteith.

The constellation is easy to spot in the summer, as the bright Alpha star, Altair, is the southernmost point of the famous asterism called the “Summer Triangle”. This famous star formation includes Vega, in the constellation Lyra and Deneb, in the constellation Cygnus. Although the Summer Triangle is relatively well-known today, it was not referenced in astronomical guidebooks until the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. 

Symbol: Aql 

Right Ascension: 07:42 

Declination: 6 

Diameter (°): 15 

Area (square °): 652 

Opposition: Jul 16 

Size Rank: 22nd 

Brightness Rank: 23rd 

Genitive: Aquil 

Major stars in Aquila 

Altair – α Aquilae  

Alshain – β Aquilae  

Tarazed – γ Aquilae  

Deneb el Okab – ε Aquilae  

Deneb el Okab – ζ Aquilae  

Bezek – η Aquilae  

Bezek – η Aquilae  

Al Thalimain – ι Aquilae  

Al Thalimain – λ Aquilae  

15 Aquilae 

Tso Ke – ρ Aquilae  

Deep sky objects in Aquila 

This constellation contains a large number of deep space nebulae – designated NGC (New General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars) 

Phantom Streak Nebula – NGC 6741 

NGC 6709 

NGC 6749 

E Nebula – Barnard 142 and 143 

The Glowing Eye Nebula – NGC 6751 

NGC 6755 

NGC 6760 

NGC 6772 

NGC 6778 

NGC 6781 

NGC 6803 

NGC 6804 

IC 1298 

Mythology of the Constellation  

This large bird was formally pictured as carrying Antinous, the favorite page of Emperor Hadrian, to heaven in its talons. This configuration was discontinued by all but the German astronomers long ago. Mythology usually attributes the eagle to Jupiter or Zeus or it is said that Aquila was the eagle who carried the thunderbolts of Zeus in his talons. One story is that it carried Ganymede, the most beautiful of all mortals from Troy to Olympus to fill the cup of Zeus and live among the gods. As a reward, the eagle was included in the constellation. 

“Ganymedes was the loveliest born of the race of mortals, and therefore 

the gods caught him away to themselves, to be Zeus’ wine-pourer, 

for the sake of his beauty, so he might be among the immortals.”  

— Homer 

Another myth has it that this is the eagle that brought nectar to Jupiter while he was lying low in the cave on Crete, avoiding the fury of his father, Saturn. 

Some of the ancient poets say this is the eagle which furnished Jupiter with weapons in his war with the giants.